Activists Dig Mock Graves For Brazil’s 40,000 Coronavirus Victims (Photos)

Members of Rio de Paz gathered at Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana beach just before dawn Thursday to dig 100 shallow graves in the sand in memory of pandemic victims and to demand the federal government to step up.

But Antônio Carlos Costa, the founder of Rio de Paz, posted on social media that fans of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro heckled activists as they dug, with one man going as far as to rip the crosses out of the mock cemetery ground.

The pandemic has become increasingly divisive in Brazil, as Bolsonaro has seen his popularity fall though he retains the support of about 30% of Brazilians, according to The Guardian.

Bolsonaro has consistently downplayed the threat of the virus and has repeatedly attacked social distancing measures implemented by Brazil’s state governments, calling them “poison” and saying a weakened economy could kill more than the virus itself.

“The president has not realized that this is one of the most dramatic crises in Brazil’s history,” Costa told Reuters. “Families are mourning thousands of dead, and there is unemployment and hunger.”

It’s not the first time Bolsonaro’s fans have caused a ruckus in recent weeks, as some of Brazil’s largest media outlets announced two weeks ago a media boycott of Bolsonaro’s official residence out of concern for the safety of reporters following months of verbal attacks by Bolsonaro supporters.